My family are sex workers - education saved me
Eliska Tanzer’s mother was a Romany sex worker in Slovakia, her father was a Nazi-sympathiser. At 13 she was trafficked to the UK where she fulfilled her dream of going to school
Eliska Tanzer was born in Slovakia into a very unusual family. Her mother’s family were Romany sex workers, while her largely absent father was a Nazi sympathiser. The local school refused to educate her because of her heritage, so Eliska grew up illiterate. When she was 13, Eliska was trafficked into Britain, where despite suffering exploitation and sexual violence, she was able to gain an education and become a writer. She spoke to Jo Fidgen about her life.
This programme contains descriptions of child exploitation and sexual violence which some listeners may find distressing.
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this programme, you can find details of organisations offering information and support at this address: bbc.co.uk/actionline
Producer: Thomas Harding Assinder
Photo: Getty Images
Podcast
-
![]()
The Outlook Podcast Archive
True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives
